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- Harold Frederick Comber ALS (31 Dec 1897 – 23 April 1969) [1]
was an English horticulturist and plant collector who was to specialise in the study of lilies Lilium sp. The eldest child of three, and only son of James and Ethel Comber, he was born at Nymans, Staplefield, Sussex, where his father was Head Gardener. He was educated at Handcross Council School until aged 12, when he entered Ardingly College for two years. He did not excel academically, failing his Oxford Local examinations, but was noted for his keen powers of observation and a retentive memory.
Harold Frederick Comber's birth was registered in the Jan-Feb-Mar quarter of 1898 in the Cuckfield district.[2]
Harold, son of James Coomber and Ethel Coomber, was baptised on 6 February 1898 in Staplefield, Sussex, England.[3]
In the 1901 census Harold (age 3) was the son of James Comber in Cuckfield, Sussex, England.[4]
| Name | Relation | Status | Sex | Age | Occupation | Birth Place |
| James Comber | Head | Married | M | 34 | Gardener (Domestic) | W Hoathley, Sussex |
| Ethel Annie Comber | Wife | Married | F | 30 | Drinkstone, Suffolk | |
| Harold Fredk Comber | Son | M | 3 | Cuckfield, Sussex | ||
| Helen Comber | Daughter | F | 1 | Cuckfield, Sussex | ||
| Alice Comber | Sister | Single | F | 37 | Ladys Maid (Domestic) | W Hoathley, Sussex |
In the 1911 census Harold (age 13), School, was the son of Jcor James Comber in Staplefield Common, Sussex, England.[5][6]
| Name | Relation | Status | Sex | Age | Occupation | Birth Place |
| Jcor James Comber | Head | Married | M | 44 | Gardener Domestic | Berck Grove, Sussex |
| Ethel Annie Comber | Wife | Married | F | 40 | Drinkstone, Suffolk | |
| Harold Frederick Comber | Son | M | 13 | School | Nymans, Sussex | |
| Helen Comber | Daughter | F | 11 | School | Nymans, Sussex | |
| Amy Violet Comber | Daughter | M | 9 | School | Nymans, Sussex |
Harold married Lilian Berta Boughtwood on 8 Mar 1928 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotlane [citation needed]
In the 1939 register Harold (age 41), Nursery Manager Lily Specialty Heavy Worker, was recorded as married in Eton, Buckinghamshire, England.[7]
| Name | Status | Sex | Birth Date | Occupation |
| Harold F Comber | Married | M | 31 Dec 1897 | Nursery Manager Lily Specialty Heavy Worker |
| Lilian B Comber | Married | F | 5 Jun 1894 | Unpaid Domestic Duties |
| James B Comber | Single | M | 14 Feb 1929 | At School |
| Closed Record | ||||
| Closed Record |
Sources
- ↑ Harold Frederick Comber ALS - W®
- ↑ Birth Registration: "England & Wales General Register Office", GRO Online Indexes - Birth (accessed 5 May 2024), Comber, Harold Frederick (Mother's maiden name: Lambert). GRO Reference: 1898 Jan-Feb-Mar in Cuckfield Volume 02B Page 149.
- ↑ Baptism: "England, Sussex, Parish Registers, 1538-1910", citing Digital film/folder number: 004428391; FHL microfilm: 002214059, FamilySearch Record: Q2Q7-7P3L (accessed 5 May 2024), Harold Frederick Coomber baptism on 6 Feb 1898, son of James Coomber & Ethel Coomber, in Staplefield, Sussex, England.
- ↑ 1901 Census: "England and Wales Census, 1901", citing Cuckfield subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey, FamilySearch Record: XSJD-PW2 (accessed 5 May 2024), Harold Fredk Comber (3) son in household of James Comber (34) in Cuckfield registration district in Sussex, England. Born in Cuckfield, Sussex.
- ↑ 1911 Census: "England and Wales Census, 1911", citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey, FamilySearch Record: X7BP-TK8 (accessed 5 May 2024), Harold Frederick Comber (13) son, School, in household of Jcor James Comber (44) in Staplefield Common in Cuckfield registration district in Sussex, England. Born in Nymans, Sussex.
- ↑ 1911 Census: "England and Wales Census, 1911", citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey, FamilySearch Record: X7B5-W74 (accessed 5 May 2024), Harold F Comber (13), Student, in Ardingly in Cuckfield registration district in Sussex, England. Born in Staplefield, Sussex.
- ↑ 1939 Census: "England and Wales National Register, 1939", citing Census, Eton, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, RG 101, The National Archives, Kew, England; FHL microfilm, FamilySearch Record: 7L45-KRW2 (accessed 5 May 2024), Harold F Comber (born 31 Dec 1897), married, Nursery Manager Lily Specialty Heavy Worker, in Eton, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom.